Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 23: By the way, how strong are you?

“Father. Thank you again for today.”

“No problem, Grint. Remember to rest properly.”

The new Roundhart mansion in the Royal Capital of Heim…… Grint and Logas had finished their morning training.

The punishment for the case with Olivia was a considerable decrease in nobility rank, and the confiscation of their territory. Thanks to that, it was thought that Grint’s future marriage would disappear.

However, Aide, the father of his marriage partner Anon, did not break his daughter’s engagement.

Grint had now finished his morning training.

And for him, the daily status checks were now a routine.

Grint Roundhart

[Job]　Next head of the Roundhart Family

[Level]　5

[Stamina]　220

[Magic]　124

[Attack]　125

[Defense]　90

[Agility]　41

[Skills]　Holy Knight, Defense Growth Rate UP

“Father. My stats have grown a bit more again.”

“Marvelous. Keep going like with the aim to join the Imperial Knights.”

“Yes! ……By the way, may I ask one thing?”

“What? ”

Grint looked at Logas with a face with a little expectation.

“I’d like to see your stats, Chichiue/Father.”

“Ohh, certainly, I’ve never shown them to you before.”

“Yes! I can’t help but being curious about your stats, since you’re one of the best knights in Heim.”

“I’ll show them to you then. If you don’t grow past me, then you’ll never be an Imperial Knight.”

Logas Roundhart

[Job]　Chief Commander

[Level]　55

[Stamina]　1490

[Magic]　811

[Attack]　653

[Defense]　421

[Agility]　317

[Skills]　Great Swordsmanship, Body Enhancement, Command

And thus, Logas revealed his stats to Grint for the very first time.

Heim’s strongest knight, and one of the most powerful knights of the continent.

And after seeing Logas’ stats, Grint’s respect for his father grew.

“Amazing, Chichiue! To have such high stats…… I’ll have to do my best to catch up! So that Ain-oniisama, who ran away, won’t be able to reach me.”

“Yes, indeed. If you work harder, the way to become a knight will open for you. And moreover, since you’re also a Holy Knight, you’ll be able to demonstrate your true power, Grint. I’ll be waiting for when that time comes.”

“Yes! ”

＊

“Mother-in-law. Just like you said, they didn’t make a move, Mother-in-law.”

“That’s right. I can’t go around speaking of it, but it was simply stupid from the very beginning. Even without borrowing the power of that country, we’re already the kings of the continent.”

This was a conversation between Isis and Alma. The contents were about Olivia and Ain, and about Ishtalika.

“However, in the unlikely event that a war starts-”

“It won’t. In that country, the words of the Founding King have the same weight as the words of God. And since that country and Heim aren’t trading partners, the only thing they can do to us is ban the entry from their ports.”

Alma had not been told about Olivia. She was just the second daughter of a baron that was sent to be the second wife, so she had not been told any secrets since the risk of her leaking them existed.

In the Roundhart family, only Logas and Isis knew the truth about Olivia.

Therefore, when Alma learned the truth about Olivia, she was afraid she might get executed.

“But, Mother-in-law. If we’re banned from entering their ports, it will eventually become a drawback……”

Among the Roundhart family, Alma had the most sense of crisis on this situation. She had been a cold person towards Olivia and Ain, and speaking of Ishtalika, that was a country that Heim could never hope to beat. Still, this was something she couldn’t say in front of Logas or Isis, after all, she had never seen Ishtalika with her own eyes.

However, considering everything she had learned so far, she had the idea that Heim would be destroyed after a few days.

“That certainly might be true. I can’t deny it…… however, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. We couldn’t let Ain become the next head of the Roundhart family. After all, he was born with ‘that’.”

Toxin Decomposition. This ability was often use in Heim to detoxify the venomous bite from snakes in the forest, and to cure light food poisoning. Therefore, even if it had EX, Isis couldn’t imagine such a skill to be useful.

And, like that, it was impossible to have Ain become the next head of a military family like the Roundharts.

“I agree.”

The skills you were born with were very important in Heim. That’s why Alma tried to convince herself that this couldn’t be helped.

And because she felt anxious, Alma strongly supported Grint to become a great Holy Knight…… an Imperial Knight.

“Haaa……Haaa…… P-Prince, thank you very much for being my sparring partner.”

“Yeah, thank you too. You must be tired; you can lie down and rest.”

“Please excuse me……I’ll happily take upon your kind words.”

Ain was training with one of Ishtalika’s knights at the knight training grounds adjacent to the castle.

This all begun with Lloyd at first, and Ain felt he was just being toyed with in the beginning.

“Great work, Ain-sama. It looks like you can’t have a normal knight as an opponent anymore.”

Chris called out to Ain after the match was over. This training was started by Lloyd, but Chris also participated in the role of instructor and to keep Ain safe.

“Will I be able to beat my father soon? ”

In truth, Ain wanted to just call him Logas. However, however, he felt some resistance to simply dropping all honorifics.

Ain was able to become like this because he came to live in Ishtalika and was surrounded by family, therefore, many of his thoughts about the Roundharts were pretty much gone.

“Well, I wonder? I guess you’ll never really know unless you actually fight each other. Even if you have higher stats it doesn’t really mean you will win.”

“I guess you’re right. However, I don’t think I’ll ever get to see them anymore.”

“You never know what the future has in store for you, Ain-sama. C’mon, for now, wipe your sweat.”

She handed him a dry, fluffy towel. The refreshing scent of herbs healed Ain’s fatigue.

“Thanks, Chris-san. Come to think of it, I wonder if you could beat my father, Chris-san……? ”

“Is that a question?”

Chris replied with a slightly angry expression on her face.

“Should I have not asked?”

“Ahh, no, is not that I don’t want to answer it, it’s just that I’m wondering how should I explain.”

“……What do you mean? ”

“Hmm. Well then, I guess I should show you my stats. You haven’t seen it yet, right? ”

“Yes. I’ve shown everyone my stats, but I’ve yet to see yours.”

Ain had a bit of a resentful look, but Chris just laughed it off.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to show her stats, it’s just that she really never had a proper opportunity to do so.

“Right now it’s a good chance. Take a good look.”

Christina Wernstein

[Job]　Holy Knight

[Level]　81

[Stamina]　2290

[Magic]　3110

[Attack]　574

[Defense]　299

[Agility]　813

[Skills]　Holy Swordsmanship, Wind Magic, Spirit Magic,

“No way, so strong.”

Ain spoke in a weird, surprised tone. But that couldn’t be helped after seeing Chris’ stats.

“I have some where I’m better, but Lloyd-sama has higher stats overall.”

“Is he a monster?”

Chris chuckled and continued speaking.

“Fufu……I suppose it’s only normal you think so. That person is probably the person who works the hardest and has become the strongest in all Ishtalika.”

“I guess you’re right. So, can you actually beat my father?”

“Excuse me. I think you’ve seen it in my stats. I’ll probably lose in terms of physical strength, like Attack and Defense. However, I’m sure I’m more agile, and I also have Wind Magic……The truth is, I’m not sure unless we fight.”

Ain was surprised seeing Chris’ stats, but he wasn’t that convinced about her quickness and wind magic.

“But probably Logas-dono wouldn’t be able to follow my movements with his eyes…… So, I think I’ll be able to easily beat him.”

“A surprising answer.”

That answer as rather appropriate. Ain began to realize that Chris’ nature wasn’t so much as that of a clumsy person. At least considering her previous words.

She had just said 『wouldn’t be able to follow』. She gave off the feeling she could easily manage.

Previously she had said she couldn’t know unless they fought, but one could feel Chris felt a little confident in her abilities.

“If he had the strength of Lloyd-sama, his eyes could follow. And properly cope with it.”

“I see. By the way, it’s my first time seeing Holy Swordsmanship, is that different from the Holy Knight skill? ”

“Ahh, that means I can use a holy sword. I acquired the skill after getting used to wielding it. Just like with a magic sword or another similar, if you learn how to properly wield it, after some time you’ll probably get the skill.”

Apparently, it was easy to get if you had a holy sword. Chris said this was a testament to those who could use the real strength of a holy sword, and to those who could properly wield it, making it easier to draw out the potential of a holy sword. This was not to say that without the skill you couldn’t use a holy sword, it was just that without it, it would be just a sharper sword.

“I would love to also have a weapon of my own someday.”

“I guess you’re right. The Dark Knight is rare…… actually, it’s a skill that people should be able to acquire, so I think it’s okay to just take your time and think of a weapon that could go with it.”

“I think it should be something like a magic sword, right? ”

“It appears there was once a Dullahan who wielded a holy sword. I think I read that in a book.”

＊

Changing places to Katima’s laboratory.

In a room in the basement of the castle, Ain and Katima were engaged in a discussion about research.

“In other words, it is rare to be able to absorb skills from a magic stone? ”

“I think so, nya. You ate the Green Wyvern magic stone the other day nya, right Ain? ”

“That unsavory thing? I properly finished it. As for my stats, my HP went up a little.”

“I have a hypothesis about the rise in stats, nya. Shall I explain both, nya? ”

“Please, nya.”

There was a huge gap in the skills acquired from absorbing magic stone when compared to stats gained.

When it came to skills, he hadn’t gotten any since that one with the Dullahan’s.

The upper and lower ends when gaining stats were also quite extreme.

“Don’t imitate me, nya. Let’s talk about skills. Green Wyverns are definitely small fries when compared to the others from the Wyvern family, but even then, they are still wyverns, nya. They have various skills, like flying and breath, nya.”

“But I’ve yet to get one of those.”

“Umu. That’s why I’m thinking it has to do with the amount of magic power and life force in the magic stone, nya! ”

“What does that mean?”

Between nyans, Katima established her hypothesis.

“The magic power and life force that was contained in the Dullahan’s magic stone was enormous, nya. That’s the reason why I think you acquired that skill, nya.”

“In other words, that means I can’t get a skill by absorbing the magic stones of weak monsters……?”

“To answer that, here, nya! I prepared 10 Black Fern magic stones using some pocket money, nya! ”

“By the way, what kind of monster is that Black Fern?”

The cat took out the magic stones of a monster called Black Fern. They were ten with a color close to brown.

“Speaking of the Ferns, they are monsters who can speak words, they are smart and harmful to people, so they are hunted, nya. The Black Fern tricks people into becoming their nourishment and eat them, nya.”

“I see. So, they are like evil plants.”

Katima explained that both the Black Ferns and Ferns expelled fog as they moved.

Apparently, its effect wasn’t that great in open spaces where they could be seen, but if they happened in forests, it had a big disturbing effect.

From the magic stone of the Black Fern, Ain felt a rich scent that reminded him of walnuts.

The smell alone was flavorful, to the point you could almost taste it, but there was one problem.

“Katima-san, can I have a word? ”

“Nya? ”

“The magic stone of the Black Ferns smells somewhat like walnuts……But I don’t really like walnuts.”

Ain didn’t like walnuts. Or rather, he hated them. The sensation and smell were somewhat acceptable. But just because he didn’t dislike almonds it didn’t mean he would like walnuts.

“What the heck are you saying, even though you’re half dryad, nya……”

“Well, even dryads don’t eat only walnuts, you know……?”

If you had water, you could get the rest of the nutrients from the soil. And, if you became a humanoid type, you could just eat normal meals. So, it was weird to think like that.

“More than anything, this costed a lot, nya. I won’t let it go to waste, so eat them.”

“By the way, how much was it?”

“The Black Fern’s magic stone is expensive, nya. Each one was 90,000G so all then were 900,000G, nya.”

The magic stones that Ain bought at Majorca’s magic stone shop were 30,000G and 52,000G each. And 300,000G for the mysterious one. Leaving aside the mysterious magic stone, the prices of the White Bison’s and Green Wyvern’s magic stone couldn’t compare to these.

“Well, I don’t really want to have them wasted, so I’ll eat them.”

“Go at it, nya.”

He steeled his resolve. He thought, ‘I’ll absorb them fast enough that I won’t have the time to taste them’.

And so, Ain reached for one magic stone and began to absorb it.

“What a strong flavor……I’d be happy if I didn’t hate it.”

Ain tasted the rich scent of walnuts.

This would be the perfect extract to make cakes and other sweets, but for Ain, who hated walnuts, this couldn’t matter less.

After finishing absorbing all the magic stones, rather than feeling filled with energy, Ain felt tired. This because he had absorbed flavors he hated.

“The Green Wyvern’s magic stone was also smelly and not too tasty. It was really painful to suck such a poor taste……”

“Good work, nya. Here, have a Ripplemodoki.”

He washed off the bad taste with a Ripplemodoki magic stone he received from Katima. The first experiment was now complete.

“Haa, I’m alive again. This is delicious.”

Ain’s favorite was the Ripplemodoki’s magic stone. He evaluated it highly since it was quite cheap and its taste was great, and it was also very easy to get.

“Ain, check your stats, nya. Did you get any skill, nya? ”

Being told so, Ain checked on his stats. His HP had increased by 100, to 1,355, and that was the only stat that grew, but he also confirmed the acquisition of the skill Dense Fog.

“Dense Fog has been added. It’s a success, right?”

“That’s a Black Fern skill, they use it to blind their opponents, nya. It seems both the skills and stats experiment were successful, nya. You can use it to prank people in the courtyard, nya.”

Hearing Ain’s stats and skill, Katima spoke as if she had expected this result. It had been a mystery until now, but the rules of the magic stone absorption were becoming clear little by little.

“Maybe not only the skills, but also the stats are related to the magic power and life force in the magic stones? ”

“What I found from the current experiment was that skills and stats can’t be build up without a certain amount of magic power or life force, nya. If you can’t get these two up to a certain point, then it’s as if you were just eating some nutritional supplement, nya.”

“So, like a gourmet?”

“Indeed, nya. However, I think your stats also play a part on it, Ain nya. The higher your stats become, the more you nyaeed. I think the magic stone that you absorbed up to now might eventually give you stats and skills, nya.”

Katima then further explained.

This meant, for the magic stones that didn’t have a large amount of magic power or life force in them, one would have to increase the number of the same magic stone and artificially increase the amount of magic power. Otherwise, absorbing them won’t have an effect on the stats or skills.

Also, as Ain grew, there will come a point where he wouldn’t be able to absorb the skills and stats of weak monsters that he might had been able to before.

“It has a surprisingly bad cost-benefit ratio.”

“Well, if you were able to simply absorb from anything, you would truly be a monster, nya.”

Ain was convinced by Katima’s words. Ain had gained an ability that pretty much separated him from humans after absorbing the Dullahan’s magic stone. However, it was too good to simply increase the stats and skills indefinitely like this over and over again.

“Does that mean the more magic stones I absorb, the more skills I’ll get and the more my stats will grow? ”

“Uhmm……I think your stats will grow significantly, nya. But, about the skills…… I think it’s better if you don’t expect too much, nya. I believe you might gain multiple skills from a strong race like dragons, nya. You’ve previously increased your stats by absorbing the Ripplemodoki’s magic stones, right, nya? However, you gained no skills from it. That’s why I believe there’s an extra factor required for you to gain a skill, nya.”

“Then, we won’t know soon.”

About this issue, it was decided they would experiment on it later when an opportunity arose.

Even if she said dragons, there’s no way to prepare many magic stones from that race, so the conclusion was put on hold.

Knock, knock, knock.

“It’s Chris. The Queen and Olivia-sama have invited you for tea.”

“I’m feeling a bit tired, so I think I’ll take a break. What about you, Katima-san? ”

“I’ll stay here and think a bit more, nya. I also want to check this magic stone that you brought, Ain, nya.”

Katima turned towards the reddish-black magic stone inside a case that Ain had bought.

Ain hadn’t heard anything like a voice ever since the day he bought it.

It also seemed it piqued Katima’s interest as a researcher, so it was stored in her laboratory for now.

Ain’s replied “Alright” to Katima, and then followed Chris towards the place where the Queen and Olivia waited for him.

＊

At the laboratory after Ain left. Katima took out a book, opening it on a table.

Not this one, not this one either……she was searching for the characteristics of a magic stone. Similar magic stones had been found, but they belonged to huge dragons, yet, even a child’s magic stone had to be excluded since this was smaller.

“Hmmm……”

There was no other record of a magic stone that cursed people.

That’s why she came up with one hypothesis.

“……What if it was a monster of the same class of the Dullahan, specializing in magic? And if we’re talking about curses, maybe one belonging to the undead……? ”

If they had the power and were skilled enough in magic to maintain a will, wasn’t it possible to leave something like a heart? That was her line of thought.

However, with that said, magic stones were taken out from dead monsters and demihumans. For Katima, who was a respectable researcher, the hypothesis that something like a heart remained even after death made little sense.

＊

Ain was guided by Chris and arrived at a place where they were having tea.

“Sorry to intrude.”

“Ara, Ain, welcome.”

“Greeting, Ain-kun.”

Would you like some tea? He was offered. At the place he arrived was his mother Olivia, and his Grandmother, Laralua.

Laralua was Silvird’s wife, the Queen, and her race was half Dark Elf.

She looked still young and beautiful, and was Silvird’s only wife.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Come sit here, Ain-kun.”

“Well then, please excuse me.”

With that said, Ain sat next to Laralua. Whenever Laralua was present, Ain often sat next to her.

He was her first grandchild, and a childlike Ain was quite likeable.

“What did you do after training, Ain? ”

“I went over to Katima-san’s and did a sort of experiment. I learned a lot about my Absorb.”

“Ara, really, Ain-kun? If it’s okay, would you be so kind to tell us?”

After Laralua said so, Ain began to explain what he had just found out.

Since this was unusual information for Olivia, the conversation was exciting for her.

“Is that so? ……Then, if there’s a skill you want, all you have to do is prepare a lot of those magic stones, huh?”

“Say, Ain. Do you know how many you need? ”

“I think we’ll know how many after doing more experiments. However, a lot of magic stones are needed for those experiments after all.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be that easy.”

Even this one experiment’s cost was 900,000G. If they were to do the same experiment 10 times using the same amount, that would add up to 9 million G. And even if they find out how much he absorbs each time, the “constant” for building up skills and stats might not be that easy to find.

It would be impractical to have to recheck each and every time Ain gets stronger.

“I feel like I have to learn this by myself somehow through my own experience.”

“That sounds good. There are many things you still don’t know about your stats after all, do your best Ain.”

“I have something good to tell you about your stats, Ain-kun.”

Saying she had something good to tell him, Laralua smiled at Ain after he finishing speaking.

“Something good? ”

“You’ve grown up, Ain-kun. I heard from Lloyd that it was okay for you to now have a proper weapon.”

“Is that true? It’s been a long time since I’ve been using a wooden sword, so I’m happy I can now move to the next stage! ”

Since Ain was still young, his height was by no means high. Therefore, he had been using a wooden sword.

In such situation, there was no way he wouldn’t be happy to be told he could now practice with a proper weapon.

“But my body is still small, so I think maybe a dagger? ”

“That sounds good. I think a normal sword might still be too heavy for you to swing. In that case…… I think the treasury might just have the perfect thing, look forward to it, okay Ain-kun? ”

“You also have to show me your cool figure with a sword, okay, Ain? ”

Despite this coming pretty much out of nowhere, Ain was happy.

He was glad they had acknowledged his growth and allowed him to graduate from the wooden sword and use a proper weapon.

Laralua told him she would give him a dagger, so Ain was very much looking forward to it.

But first, he decided to thank his grandmother for taking the time to search for a dagger for him.

“Thank you very much, Obaa-sama. You too, Okaa-sama, I want you to feel proud of my growth! ”